You are here:

The Help

Name: The Help
Director: Tate Taylor
Released: 2011
Duration: 146 min

Representation Score

4.3/10

Fair

2011

PG-13

Director

Tate Taylor

Runtime

146 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The film effectively highlights the voices of underrepresented individuals within the context of systemic inequality during the Jim Crow era. By focusing on the daily lives of Black domestic workers, it offers a powerful critique of the oppressive social structures of the time. However, the narrative's dependence on a conventional protagonist structure can limit its impact. The white protagonist, Skeeter, often serves as the main driver of events, which can overshadow the independent actions of the underrepresented characters. Overall, while the film provides rich character development for its Black protagonists, the structural emphasis on a white lead character hinders a higher diversity score.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Help have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters. The social environment adheres strictly to the traditional sexual norms of the 1960s American South.

How does The Help portray gender?

Good

The story focuses primarily on women, highlighting their roles in both domestic and professional settings. It emphasizes the emotional strength of Black women, although it includes some period-specific stereotypes.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Help?

Good

Characters of color such as Aibileen and Minny are given substantial depth. The film examines the racial caste system of Mississippi, though it faces criticism for relying on the white savior cliché.

How does The Help represent religion and culture?

Good

The movie critiques the institutionalized racism and strict class hierarchies of mid-century America. It portrays the fight for civil rights as a necessary challenge to a corrupt system.

Does The Help include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no significant characters with visible or invisible disabilities in the main storyline.

Present on Screen

Gives significant depth and importance to Black characters like Aibileen and Minny.
Provides a strong critique of the institutionalized racism and class hierarchies of the 1960s South.
Highlights the emotional resilience and moral clarity of female domestic workers.

Limited or Absent

Relies on the white savior cliché, with the white protagonist serving as the main catalyst for change.
Lacks any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
Does not include any characters with disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.

How are these scores produced? →